British Championship 2023

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Is this the best way for such information to be promulgated? Of course, Alex is not permitted to say the same thing here."

No.

[Simon Rogers]

A friend asked me yesterday over the phone if there is any news on the British yet?

[LawrenceCooper]

A friend asked me yesterday over the phone if there is any news on the British yet?

Until something appears on the ECF website then anything we hear is likely to be rumour or guess work. No doubt they are as anxious as the players to have it finalised.

[SMoss]

It is more than a little unfortunate that we still don't know the date (or indeed the venue) of the British. Isn't this supposed to be the country's premier chess event? In which case the dates should be set way ahead to maximise the number and strength of entry.

At Kingston, we are organising our second invitational event in late July – http://chess-results.com/tnr698789.aspx?lan=1 – and have had to take a stab at picking dates which we hope won't clash with the British. If we find at some point (by the way, when WILL we get a date??) that the dates do clash, we could have a real problem, as some of the players we have signed up may want to play in the British.

The ECF are making it difficult for other event organisers and undermining their own event. If they want to pass on running the tournament, I am happy to take it on in Kingston in 2025 – Kingston University is an excellent venue. 2025 is also the putative (evidence for our formation is flimsy) 150th anniversary of Kingston Chess Club, so it would all tie in very nicely.

Congrats to the organisers of Hastings on a great tournament and a strong entry this year. Congrats, too, to the organisers of the Cambridge Open in February, which is an excellent addition to the calendar. I'm afraid the British is in grave danger of becoming a bit of a so-what event when it should be the absolute pinnacle. May I ask who at the ECF is responsible for this shambles and who carries the can? The ECF ruling on Russian federation players was also shambolic. How many shambles is the ECF allowed before ordinary members cry enough and demand a change of management and direction?

[IM Jack Rudd]

The officer responsible is the Manager of the British Championships, currently Kevin Staveley, who reports to the Director of Home Chess, currently Nigel Towers.

[Angus French]

At Kingston, we are organising our second invitational event in late July – http://chess-results.com/tnr698789.aspx?lan=1 – and have had to take a stab at picking dates which we hope won't clash with the British. If we find at some point (by the way, when WILL we get a date??) that the dates do clash, we could have a real problem, as some of the players we have signed up may want to play in the British.

If I recall the British used to be held over the last week starting in July and the first starting in August. Possibly the reduction in the number of rounds in the main event (and the Major Open) has changed this.

[SMoss]

Thanks Jack. I was being rather intemperate and I know Kevin is a good guy and will be working to get a good result. I'm sure the ECF are doing their best, but the British is the sort of classy event where the 2023 details should be known as the 2022 event finishes. It would be great if all our strongest players actually turned out, and if the satellite events were well supported. I also disagree with doubling up the strength categories by having separate tournaments in each of the two weeks: it's fun to have an overall U2000 champion, U1800, U1600 champion etc. Adds interest and lustre to the whole event, which should be the domestic highlight of the year. But that's enough moaning from me. I know this stuff isn't easy. I was just selfishly worried about the possible impact on the Kingston Invitational if the dates overlap, and am hoping the British – when we do eventually get the details – will be confined to early August.

[LawrenceCooper]

Thanks Jack. I was being rather intemperate and I know Kevin is a good guy and will be working to get a good result. I'm sure the ECF are doing their best, but the British is the sort of classy event where the 2023 details should be known as the 2022 event finishes. It would be great if all our strongest players actually turned out, and if the satellite events were well supported. I also disagree with doubling up the strength categories by having separate tournaments in each of the two weeks: it's fun to have an overall U2000 champion, U1800, U1600 champion etc. Adds interest and lustre to the whole event, which should be the domestic highlight of the year. But that's enough moaning from me. I know this stuff isn't easy. I was just selfishly worried about the possible impact on the Kingston Invitational if the dates overlap, and am hoping the British – when we do eventually get the details – will be confined to early August.

I've always found them both to be responsive and helpful when I've contacted them, in particular in recent months to try and avoid a clash with my July all-play-all. The last indication, which I think I posted on the forum, was "either be 20th- 30th July or the following week - 27th July to 6th August 2023"

[Andrew Zigmond]

Thanks Jack. I was being rather intemperate and I know Kevin is a good guy and will be working to get a good result. I'm sure the ECF are doing their best, but the British is the sort of classy event where the 2023 details should be known as the 2022 event finishes.

Presumably you will be editing your "intemperate" post then. I personally consider your comments disgraceful but perhaps I'm being "intemperate" myself.

The absence of a confirmed date and venue is frustrating for everybody. I have very likely lost my chance to play the full week myself due to other managers at my workplace having requested the same weeks (and I did look at doing the World Amateur in Kos but can't get the time off for the same reason).

The question is whether you think the ECF have not announced a date yet due to incompetence or a deliberate conspiracy OR (far more likely) there have been unavoidable problems that the chess player on the street isn't seeing.

[SMoss]

I don't believe in retrospective editing. Nor do I have the technical know-how to do it. My point is simply that the British championships should be the ECF's No 1 priority: the shop window for British chess; the first date in the calendar. It's a bit mad that we do not yet have either a date or a location, and it will be a shame if the Kingston event is lost or devalued because we lose players owing to the delay when, had we had earlier dates, we could have worked around it. If, as suggested elsewhere here, there is going to be a clash, we would probably have to think about moving our event to the middle or end of August, but our plans are already well advanced and this could cause complications. Sorry if you think my views are "disgraceful", but I am thinking only of the greater good and smooth running of British chess. The British championships should be a great event, a festival of chess, the climax of the domestic chess year.

[Andrew Zigmond]

To clarify; the comments I consider "disgraceful" were your final three sentences. The ECF is a volunteer led organisation. Finding an affordable venue that can host the British and its numerous side events as well as the other requirements (refreshments, analysis areas, space for parents etc) gets harder year on year. That said the delay IS causing problems and your frustration IS understandable.

When the venue is announced there will need to be a review into what went wrong and what can be done to stop it happening again. It is worth noting that there hasn't been an open hunt for a new venue since 2018 (two Torquays with one kicked down the road for two years) and a lot has changed in that time.

(retrospective edit) It is the easiest thing in the world - on your own posts you will see a little pen icon next to report and quote so all you need to do is click on it and make the relevant changes.

[Alex McFarlane]

I know nothing of the British Championships but I do know of problems in finding venues.

The world has changed considerably in the last few years. Many potential venues are not currently available, some are catering almost exclusively for wedding receptions (as I predicted on this forum!!). Some hotels which would have provided accommodation for functions are now hosting refugees or have even closed permanently.
The venues that are still willing to hold chess events are now expecting chess to compete with others and cut price deals are much harder (impossible in some areas) to get.

Demand for venues has increased. The number of potential venues has decreased. Chess is not high up the list of attractive things to stage, others bring in more revenue. There is greater competition amongst organisations for the venues that are available and affordable.

This problem is not just restricted to hotel type venues. The price of council halls is increasing too or the opening hours are reducing or BOTH!

The really bad news is that this doesn't seem like it is a short term problem.

[Roger de Coverly]

If I recall the British used to be held over the last week starting in July and the first starting in August. Possibly the reduction in the number of rounds in the main event (and the Major Open) has changed this.

It's moved around a bit. A couple of fixed points are a desire to start after the end of the English school summer term and finish before the start of the Scottish school autumn term. Some years it's been the first two weeks of August.

Unless they repeat the 2022 format, the time period is now a weekend, followed by a week, followed by a second weekend.

[Andrew Zigmond]

From memory the 2020 event was going to have to be spread over two weeks because the first of the only available weeks clashed with term time.

So essentially any venue for the British championship needs to meet the criteria of being available in the school holidays (many juniors and students qualify for the main championship in their own right). Demand is high for venues at that time of year.

The venue needs to be large enough to provide a suitable playing hall for the championships themselves with space for spectators but also relatively soundproof (some recent venues have been better than others in this respect).

Adequate space for the seniors and grade restricted events which, separated from the main British, are a fairly well attended event in their own right.

A suitably placed refreshment hall and breakout area. Also players need to be able to access refreshments and (more importantly) toilets while being able to be monitored for fair play breaches (or risk the accusation of).

And that's before cost comes into it. And when things don't work out too well (overpriced poor quality food, audible noise from outside) it's the ECF's fault.

And the icing on the cake - if the event is in a resort some players will moan that they don't want to play in some grotty seaside place, it's so old fashioned etc. Put it in a non resort and other players will moan that they can't take their families as there is nothing to do, hotels are too expensive. Either way it's the fault of the ECF.

Hopefully some people are now realising the job is not as easy as they think!

[Roger de Coverly]

From memory the 2020 event was going to have to be spread over two weeks because the first of the only available weeks clashed with term time.

I think as in 2014 and 2022, a clash with the dates for the Olympiad came into play as well. That can be relevant for the Welsh, Scottish and Irish players as well as the English.